Dan Hensley

Dan Hensley taught mathematics at Clover Park High School for 25 years. He began coaching wrestling as an assistant coach under National Hall of Fame coach Warren DePrenger. With Warren, they popularized the use of the suspended mat light for wrestling competitions building their own from discarded football stadium lights. While coaching at Clover Park, Dan coached in excess of 25 state placers including 10 state champions. Clover Park set and still holds the record of five individual state champions in one year during the 1973 state tournament where the team members won 22 of 24 individual matches in the tournament. While teaching at Clover Park Dan went on to coach at Pacific Lutheran University where he developed several All-American wrestlers. He was twice chosen NAIA Conference Coach of the Year and was instrumental in keep the college program viable while many other colleges were dropping their wrestling programs. From PLU, Dan went on to coach at Decatur high School for five years where he coached their first state placer. In his 39th year of teaching, Dan returned to Clover Park High School to teach and coach and was able to have another state placer. Dan was the director for the State AAA Wrestling Tournament when the tournament was held at PLU. It was there that the state tournament was first held on 6 mats and individual placings were wrestled off to 8 places and where computers were first used to keep team scores. Dan attended Mead High School and wrestled for Hall of Fame Coach Cash Stone. In 1962 he was the first state wrestling champion in Spokane, competing at 127 pounds. While wrestling for WSU under Roger James, Dan was an NCAA All-American, placing sixth at National and was named the Pac-8 Conference Student Athlete of the Year for WSU. He was undefeated in dual meet competition in his junior and senior years competing at 147 and 160 pounds. Dan is now retired from teaching and occasionally does substitute teaching. His winters are spent doing volunteer duties for the Mt. Spokane Ski Patrol. In regards to wrestling, Dan volunteers his time with coaching wrestling when invited to various camps around the state.

Awards:

Year
2008
Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
Chapter/Region
Washington

All American Awards:

Season
1966
School
Washington State
Tournament
Division I
Weight
160
Place
6

Our Mission: To honor the sport of wrestling by preserving its history, recognizing extraordinary individual achievements, and inspiring future generations